How To Develop Your Strengths In 3 Effective Steps To Achieve Success

If you want to be successful, don’t turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash

I hate that part of the interview where they ask about your strengths and weaknesses.

I know it’s coming. It’s a standard question. But it doesn't mean I don’t dread it.

Why? Because I become more focused on my weaknesses. My mind goes, “Ugh, I suck at this thing. I wish I were better at this. I wish I were as good as [my neighbor, colleague, or whoever]”

But what if we turn our perspective around and focus on our strengths instead? Donald Clifton, an American psychologist known for his work in strengths-based development, had the same question:

What will happen when we think about what is right with people rather than fixating on what is wrong with them?

So he created the CliftonStrengths assessment. Today, over 30 million people use this online assessment tool, including Fortune 500 companies, universities and schools, and other organizations.

Let’s look into how strength-based development could improve your chances of success.

Benefits of Strength-Based Development

To give context, the CliftonStrengths assessment was a product of characterizing what makes a great leader.

A 2009 study titled Strengths-Based Leadership by Rath & Conchie used decades of data from Gallup poll interviews with leaders and consultations with work teams to conclude what effective leaders do:

1. They invest in strengths.
2. They surround themselves with skilled team members.
3. They understand the needs of their team.

They also found out that leaders who were striving to be the best in everything were the least effective overall.

Of course, this contradicts my belief that turning weaknesses into strengths would make me more successful. But psychology and research say otherwise, so it piqued my curiosity.

I took the online assessment comprising 177 questions in under 45 minutes of quiet alone time. I won’t delve much into how the assessment works, but if you want to learn more, click on the article below.

How the CliftonStrengths Assessment Works

Let’s talk more about the benefits of CliftonStrengths instead.

• You’ll discover what you naturally do best
• You’ll learn how to develop your greatest talents into strengths
• You’ll learn from personalized results and reports to maximize your potential

After taking the paid assessment, you’ll discover your top themes ranked according to your strengths. There are 34 themes and they’re classified across four domains.

What Are the Four Domains of CliftonStrengths?

In a nutshell, this is how they describe the four domains:

1. Executing: They make things happen.
2. Influencing: They speak up, take charge, and ensure others are heard.
3. Relationship building: They hold a team together.
4. Strategic thinking: They analyze information that informs better decisions.

Here’s the amazing part: The Strengths Insights Guide is unique and customized to you! Even if you have the same theme as another person, you won’t read the same words in the report. How cool is that?

Now, how do we use your top themes for strength-based development?

Let me guide you through how with the following three steps:

Step 1: Invest In Your Strengths

When answering the questions, the tool assesses your patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. These make up your talents. They are inherent to you — a bestowed gift.

But talents do not become strengths unless you put in time and effort to develop them. Your talents are the foundations of your strengths.

Strength = Talent x Investment

You will know your talents from your themes. For example, my top theme is Restorative (Executing). In my report, it says that my talent is solving problems (oh, would you look at that).

Screenshot taken from author’s personalized report

CliftonStrengths is a developmental tool that teaches you where you’re good at now so you can focus on opportunities that will help you grow more.

It says I can use this strength to become a fine trainer and instructor. Perhaps I can find opportunities in consulting, coaching, or training & development.

Restorative is just one of my top themes. I have other talents to nurture more. Sometimes, you’ll see your top themes contradicting each other, delaying your progress.

For example, my second theme is Intellection (Strategic Thinking). I thrive in introspection and intellectual discussions. Guess what happens if there are problems? I spend more than enough time analyzing my problems instead of executing solutions.

I didn’t know that until my Gallup coach asked me why I didn’t seem to agree with the love for solving problems. It’s because my other theme thrives on it.

Take your themes as superpowers. Sometimes one superpower cripples the other. Over time, you’ll learn how to harness these themes and use them in situations where they’re most useful.

Step 2: Define Your Success

Your talents are the raw materials to your success.

Image edited (Canva)and owned by author

But what is your definition of success?

Sometimes we look at successful people and owe their success to their strengths. For example, I envy people with talents in the Influencing domain because they can easily convert leads and increase sales.

People have different versions of success. Does success mean increased sales to me? Or is it the satisfaction of helping people solve problems? Rather than compare your strengths to others, focus on your end goal instead.

The process that happens from talent to success is not one-way. The process is unique and creative. Your talents can innovate and evolve. Release stereotyping and break those limiting beliefs.

Step 3: Collaborate

You don’t need to be great at everything. So don’t turn your weakness into strength. Accept it and manage it.

Do yourself a favor and use your time and effort (investment) in developing your talents rather than fixing what’s wrong. I’m not saying forget your weaknesses — I’m saying manage them.

You manage your weaknesses by collaborating with others. Leverage on others’ strengths while they leverage on yours. Work in teams and use your different strengths strategically to get to your success.

Let me give you an example that was actually shared by a co-attendee in the group coaching call:

Her talents all belong to the Relationship Building domain. If she was tasked with organizing a community event for their organization, would she succeed? If she strategized the entire event by herself, maybe not. But she used her relationship-building strengths and contacted her network for help with event planning.

Collaboration is an essential key to achieving success. Because you’ll only feel frustrated and inadequate if you try to do everything by yourself.

Image edited (Canva) and owned by author

Remember, success is a multifaceted concept, and there’s no one-size-fits-all path.

By focusing on your strengths, defining your personal version of success, and collaborating effectively, you’re setting yourself up for a transformative journey of growth and fulfillment.

Try taking CliftonStrengths to appreciate the strength-based development approach. Embrace your uniqueness and unleash your true potential ❤